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Obama Lied: US Forces in Libya

As reported by AP and the Washington Post on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23 respectively, the military operation in Libya, which just culminated in the take-over of Tripoli, was run directly by covert forces, private contractors, and U.S. intelligence assets, in an undercover campaign operating separately from the NATO command structure.

Obama clearly lied to the U.S. population and the world when he said that there would be no U.S. troops on the ground. The U.S. had CIA operatives on the ground. It had private contractors on the ground. It provided satellite intelligence. It provided air support. It was and is the leading element in a NATO coalition, whose command was and is U.S. led.

And Obama would have us believe that there was no “war” requiring Congressional authorization, no “hostilities” requiring invocation of the War Powers Resolution.

The following articles undoubtedly only reveal the tip of the iceberg. Nonetheless, they are sufficient to make the case for the immediate impeachment of Barack Obama.

As the Washington Post reported in an article titled “Allies guided rebel pincer assault on Tripoli,” airstrikes were accelerated over the weekend, in and around Tripoli, most carried out by NATO and allied aircraft, aided by six armed U.S. Predator drones and satellite imagery on the location and capabilities of government forces.

According to the article: “British, French and Qatari Special Forces have been operating on the ground in Libya for some time and helped the rebels develop and coordinate the pincer strategy.” While Obama claims that there were no boots on the ground, the article reports: “CIA operatives inside the country, along with intercepted communications between Libyan government officials, provided a deeper understanding of how badly Gaddafi’s command structure had crumbled, according to U.S. officials.”

“Six weeks ago Obama reached a decision that enabled the sharing of more sensitive materials with NATO, including imagery and signals intercepts that could be provided to British and French Special Operations troops on the ground in addition to pilots in the air.

“NATO, whose United Nations mandate is limited to the protection of Libyan civilians, has been anxious not to be seen acting as the rebel air force in a coordinated strategy. But the NATO official acknowledged that ‘the effect of what we were doing was not dissimilar. What we saw was sort of the collapse of the regime and its capability to direct its forces.'”

The AP story was titled: “US, NATO were crucial, unseen hands in Libya fight.” According to this article, “it was an open secret that foreign military advisers were working covertly inside the country providing guidance to rebels and giving tactical intelligence to NATO aircraft bombing government forces.”

“Diplomats say members of the alliance and partners in the Middle East were engaged in an undercover campaign on the ground in Libya. The operation was kept separate from the NATO command structure to avoid compromising its mandate from the United Nations to protect civilians.

“On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe acknowledged the presence of the advisers, telling Europe-1 radio that France had contributed ‘a few instructors’ to train rebel fighters. Diplomats acknowledge that covert teams from France, Britain and some East European states provided critical assistance. The assistance included logisticians, security advisers and forward air controllers for the rebel army, as well as intelligence operatives, damage assessment analysts and other experts, according to a diplomat based at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels.”

“The CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies have been gathering information throughout the conflict from contacts they had developed when they were working with Gadhafi’s government on counterterrorism against al-Qaida-related Islamic militant groups operating in Libya.

“Foreign military advisers on the ground provided key real-time intelligence to the rebels. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said the Qatari military led the way, augmented later by French, Italian and British military advisers.

“Bolstering the intelligence on the ground was an escalating surveillance and targeting campaign in the skies above. Armed U.S. Predator drones helped to clear a path for the rebels to advance.

“The addition of U.S. drone aircraft into the Libyan theater was important to the rebels, in giving them access to constant surveillance of the terrain, said Gen. Jean-Paul Palomeros, the French Air Force chief of staff. In recent weeks, as the U.S. added more drones to the fight, they were able to do precision strikes closer to the cities, shadowing the rebels as they advanced through Zawiya and roared into Tripoli.”

As far back as March 30th, Reuters reported that Obama had signed an order authorizing covert U.S. government support by the CIA for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. On the same day, the New York Times also reported that the Central Intelligence Agency had inserted clandestine operatives into Libya. The New York times also reported that Obama signed a secret finding authorizing the CIA to provide arms and other support to Libyan rebels.

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